But things turned worse when Beadle’s comments were endorsed by Cari Champion, who hosted First Take with Stephen Smith from 2012 to 2015. With the endorsement from Champion, the feud turned personal, as she closely worked with Smith on the First Take.

Stephen A Smith then took down Cari Champion, as well, saying that she should be “ashamed of herself” for the comments, as, according to Smith, she was hired by ESPN because of him.

So, what’s happening? Why is the First Take host feuding with two of his former colleagues? Let’s take a look.

Why Is Stephen A. Smith Feuding With Michelle Beadle and Cari Champion?

Here’s a detailed breakdown of why Stephen A Smith has been engaged in a war of words with two of his colleagues in the sports broadcasting industry, especially given that he worked closely with one of them.

How It Started- Michelle Beadle’s Comments

It all began with Michelle Beadle criticizing Stephen A Smith on a podcast for striking a commercial partnership with the mobile app, Solitaire Cash – a real cash online game. It all started with a viral video of Smith during the NBA finals, where he was caught playing Solitaire during the broadcast. The popularity of the video prompted Solitaire Cash to strike a partnership with the First Take host.

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Beadle slammed Stephen A Smith for “not having principles.” “Honestly, I’m not a religious person, but I pray for the downfall,” she said. “It’s gross, man, you gotta have principles in this thing.”

Smith responded then by saying that he “does not know” her and said only “hello or goodbye” to her. But that seems unlikely, as Smith was suspended briefly by ESPN in 2014 after Beadle publicly criticized Smith for his comments on the allegations of domestic violence against ex-Ravens RB, Ray Rice.

Cari Champion Enters Feud

The feud heated up when Cari Champion entered the talk with a video on Instagram where she backed up the claims made by Beadle with her own experiences. Notably, when the Ray Rice issue came up in 2014, she was still hosting First Take with Skip Bayless.

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“I’m old enough to remember being on that show and getting in trouble based on some comments you said about women and whether or not they should know their place when it comes to abuse or non abuse — Ray Rice comes to mind, but I’m not gonna get into the details of all of that” she said.

“But Beadle just came for you yet again, like she did when I worked at ESPN,” she added. “I wonder do you have that same smoke for her that you have for Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, that you sometimes have for me and Jemele Hill.”

Smith Furious With Cari Champion

Stephen A Smith was furious with Cari Champion for the comments she made about him. He claimed that he had shown “nothing but love” to her and that she “was hired at ‘First Take’ in large part because of me.”

“I’ve shown you nothing but love,” Smith said. “What are you talking about? You were hired at ‘First Take’ in large part because of me… When have I spoken against you?… That is a lie. Me, dogging Cari Champion? When?

“And if I did it, why did you call me and root for me? What are you sick of? Or did you just want the attention?”